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I just used ash from the fireplace to weather all of my soft armor. Burnt wood for the black and burnt paper of some gray to tone down the suit. It can get a little messy, but I really liked the results.

Depending on what effect you're after, I would recommend paints designed for fabric. There's a line of airbrush-ready paint called Createx. I used a dark gray and mixed up a dirty brownish gray and just "spattered" it onto my jumpsuit.
Once you paint the Createx on, you "heat set" it with an iron, which makes it permanent.

I used 3 cheap acyricic paints I got from Michales/MJ Designs. I will look when I get home and the color numbers. Its a brown, deep black, and rich charcole gray. I just mixed a few drops of paint with a cup of water and ran it through my airbrush and it gave me great results.

The thing I liked the most about the "fireplace weathering" is that if you felt like you went overboard with the weathering, you could always throw the jumpsuit in the wash. But yeah ... go ahead and give that burnt charcoal a shot. I think it'd work.

Acrylic art chalk works well also. You can shave the sticks with a sharp blade and use a dry brush to apply the powder in specific areas or just smear it on with your hands. It gives you a lot of control.

Charcoal Grey Primer. I mist it on and put it on thicker in places. It isn't a bad idea to weather your jumpsuit and vest as one. That way the weathering appears as it weathered at the same time for real. Just remember to weather under the vest as well and up the suit a bit in case the vest moves a little.